Caroline Pennelli

Caroline Pennelli has worked in Education for over twenty years, teaching Grades 2 through 8 in England, Ontario and British Columbia. Caroline was an ESL consultant in London and Cambridge, and a lecturer in Education at Hertfordshire University, before moving to Canada in 1996. Since then, she has held administrative positions in K-8 Elementary schools in Greater Toronto; has worked with the B.C. Ministry, assisting in aspects of the development of the Language Arts Curriculum, and is a published writer for Scholastic Canada. She moved to the Okanagan in 2008, because she was attracted to the climate and open spaces.

In her spare time, Caroline loves to swim, hike and bike. Her favorite author is Jane Austen, and her favorite composer is Bach. She currently shares her home with her two rescued cats.

Will Eaton

William Eaton is Youlearn's vice-principal and one of its K-9 learning facilitators. He is committed to improving Youlearn's communities while leveraging new tools and processes. In regard to this ambition he is constantly learning and collaborating with staff and students.

He has been involved in education in a number of capacities from high school counsellor and drama department head to elementary classroom and lead technology teacher. In addition, he has held district and provincial leadership positions, fortunate to have worked with the Ministry of Education and the Premier's Technology Council. Recently, he completed a M.A. in Learning and Technology from Royal Roads University (RRU) and remains interested in the relationships between technology, research and systems thinking. In 2011, he received the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence.

When able to find the time, William enjoys traveling, keeping fit (running, mountain biking and swimming), writing and filmmaking.

Jane Slater

This is my first year to be involved with YouLearn.ca. I have worked in a variety of positions with School District No. 53 since 1999 – elementary, high school, learning centres and board office. Prior to working in education, I was in health care for 17 years, and also owned and operated a nursery and greenhouse.

I moved to the South Okanagan from Burnaby in 1977 and was a graduate of Southern Okanagan Secondary School.  I understand first-hand the challenges of distance education, as I completed most of my post-secondary education through correspondence and on-line learning – taking full-time Health Care Administration courses at Malaspina University while working and raising a family.

I am really looking forward to this new experience, and hope to be with YouLearn.ca for a long time.

SharronPiazza

I have been teaching for over 25 years. I have taught grades 3 to 12 in a variety of subjects. I currently teach at the Keremeos Learning Centre, the Osoyoos Learning Centre and with the Distributed Learning students at our Outreach site.   I teach a variety of subjects; the Sr. Humanities, Law, Family Studies, PE, Equine Studies, Work Experience, Grad Transitions and more.

Outside of teaching I actively compete in the Equestrian disciplines of Eventing and Dressage. As well, I am an Equine Canada Level I English coach and judge. During the Christmas holidays my husband and I try to travel to one warm location each year.  This year's trip is in the works.

When I have time, I love reading good mystery and fantasy novels. I enjoy making quilts, but rarely have the time to complete one.

You can always reach me by email at spiazza@sd53.bc.ca and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Heather Lessard

This is my 6th year at Distance Learning. I teach secondary Math, Science and Technology courses at YouLearn.ca - DL. I have also had some experience teaching in an elementary school.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening and reading for leisure. Holidays are usually spent with family members, both near and far.

You can always reach me by email at hlessard@sd53.bc.ca and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Naomi Kleinschmidt

I teach English, Socials, History, Planning 10, Family Studies, Law 12 and Economics 12 at the Portage facility in Keremeos. I am a UBC Okanagan graduate with a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations major). I also have experience with private tutoring (Sylvan Learning Center) and adult education (Sprott-Shaw Community College) and hope to make a real difference in the education and lives of the students at The Crossing.

In my spare time, I am an active member of a historical recreation group. We recreate aspects of life in the Middle Ages from practicing Arts & Sciences to staging events featuring martial tournaments and feasts. I am also a professional Middle Eastern dancer and perform both cabaret and folkloric styles as an individual and with my dance troupe.

Cody Rivest

I am the new math and sciences teacher out at Portage, Keremeos. This is my first teaching position in School District 53. I have a B.Sc degree in Environmental Chemistry and a B.Ed degree. While studying for my B.Ed I also taught chemistry at TRU (Thompson Rivers University) and I also taught lessons on Mac OS X as a home business. I also spent three years in S. Korea teaching English, which I recommend to anyone interesting in travelling overseas. Now, I am excited about Portage being the next chapter in my life.

Outside of school I like camping, gardening, and cooking. I also enjoy working on my project car or exploring new technology. Recently I've become quite addicted to listening to audiobooks while travelling back and forth visiting my family or while relaxing at home. In particular I am listening to a lot of young adult books such as Eragon, or Artemis Fowl.